Latest news with #AeroMall
Time of India
12-07-2025
- Time of India
New ‘fare by meter' trend of cabbies compounds longstanding hassles faced by arriving flyers at Pune airport
Pune: Thousands of flyers arriving at the city airport and trying to exit the facility have cited major hassles with booking cabs. To compound this issue, many commuters are now claiming that a new trend of "pay by meter" that cabbies are insisting on is further creating chaos. For instance, Kalyaninagar resident Paras Agarwal, who reached Pune by flight late in June, told TOI, "I took off from Delhi on a two-hour flight and landed here around 8.20pm. By 8.35pm, I had collected my luggage and was at the AeroMall. I tried the apps of all cab aggregators, but until 9.50pm, not a single cabbie accepted a trip. Finally, one okayed the ride but told me the fare would be charged 'by the meter'. I was with my wife, who was too tired, and we just chose to not argue with him," he narrated. You Can Also Check: Pune AQI | Weather in Pune | Bank Holidays in Pune | Public Holidays in Pune Several commuters echoed this experience. Despite AeroMall officials claiming to have taken steps to ensure that arriving passengers get cabs easily, the perennial issue continues — especially in evening hours. "I am surprised that both the police and Pune RTO are unable to resolve this matter till date. I flew around five months ago and again last month — each time it was a battle. Cabbies tend to just not accept rides, and then the booking goes from one cabbie to the next again and again," said Ashutosh Goyal, a Sinhagad Road resident. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like So sánh mức trượt giá: Hợp đồng tương lai (CFD) Bitcoin vs Ethereum IC Markets Tìm hiểu thêm Undo Katraj resident Yashodhan Joglekar, who landed at the city airport from Bengaluru around 8pm on June 19, said he reached home well over two hours later. "It took me approximately an hour to reach Pune. The flight took off at 6.58pm, and I landed in Pune by 8pm. By around 8.15pm, I was at the AeroMall trying to get a cab. But my perfect journey didn't end well — I found myself dealing with at least four ride cancellations over the next hour and finally got a cab only around 9.10pm. The wait was frustrating, and I managed to reach home only around 10.15pm," Joglekar said. Roshanjeet Singh, who lives in Delhi and came to Pune for a function in May, was angry too. "The fare of an Uber cab from Pune to Vimannagar showed around Rs260, but this cabbie called me and said the fare would be Rs380 by the meter. When I refused, the ride was cancelled. This happened six times. I could only get a cab after 50 minutes. What is happening in Pune?" he said. YS Rajput, vice president of the AeroMall, said they have now launched Meru cab services, besides the existing Ola, Uber and Rapido cabs for passengers. "With this, there are six cab services working at the AeroMall. There is a system wherein one can get immediate cabs, though the price could be a bit higher. We have a policy under which cabs belonging to any company can come inside to pick up passengers. Ride refusals are a problem, but we have had talks with the companies on the same," he told TOI. Pune deputy RTO Swapnil Bhosle said that the issue of "fare by meter" would be solved. "Once the new cab aggregator policy of the state gets implemented, all these companies will have to get a licence to operate by RTO. At present, they don't have a licence, but we have allowed them to operate to ensure that people don't face problems. The companies will have to follow regulations in the policy, which will mean all kinds of malpractices getting curtailed," he told TOI. Flyers were not convinced. "How can they just wait for some policy and be sure that things will get better? In many other airports, like Kolkata or Bengaluru, getting public transport from the airport is not very tough and full of hassles like in Pune," observed Sarvesh Thorat, a regular flyer.
Time of India
17-06-2025
- Automotive
- Time of India
AI-enabled CCTV cameras to curb illegal parking on roads leading to airport
Pune: The airport authorities, in coordination with the Pune traffic police and the AeroMall officials, will install AI-enabled CCTV cameras on the New Airport Road and the VIP Road (Symbiosis College Road) within a couple of months to monitor and penalise illegally parked vehicles. Pune airport director Santosh Dhoke told TOI that a feasibility study was under way. "It will take some more time, after which the final report will be ready. We had initial talks about the project with an agency. Based on the final report, these cameras — recently installed on FC Road — will be put up here too," he said. Y S Rajput, the vice-president of AeroMall, told TOI, "The agency recently gave a presentation on the functioning of the cameras, and we hope to get these soon. During the late evening hours, both these roads are clogged most of the time. Private cars and cabs are parked on either side. There have been many complaints about the same." Airport officials said a total of 3-4 such cameras could be installed by the end of August. "Both these roads are important for access to the airport. Illegal parking on these roads has been a problem for a long time. It is mainly done in the late evening and night hours, when police personnel are not present," another airport official said. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like Memperdagangkan CFD Emas dengan salah satu spread terendah? IC Markets Mendaftar Undo "The modern cameras equipped with digital screens can automatically detect any vehicles parked wrongly. Once a vehicle is tracked, its registration number will flash on the screen. Around a minute will be given to the vehicle owner to remove it, failing which an online challan will generate automatically without zero human interference, ruling out chances of arguments," another airport official said. Vimannagar's frequent flier Sushil Pandey said during the rains, the situation becomes tougher. "These roads are narrow and illegally parked vehicles cause a major problem. It took me almost an hour to go from the AeroMall to the Wiekfield Chowk, a distance of around 300 to 400 metres, earlier this month because it was raining and vehicles, mainly cabs, were parked on both sides of the road. Cab drivers enter the AeroMall only when they get a long trip," the IT professional said. Prashik Ojha, another frequent flyer, said, "Owners of even costly cars don't want to spend money on parking at the AeroMall or at another private parking lot on the VIP Road, right before the AeroMall. I have seen the police taking action against these in the daytime, but it is a free-for-all type of situation at night. Even autorickshaws are parked anywhere in front of the airport, hindering vehicles' movement," the working professional said. TOI reported earlier this month that the airport authorities were planning to introduce a time-bound entry system at the facility to curb congestion. The airport director said they were planning a system under which any private vehicle found parked in the circulating area of the terminal building would be fined Rs500. "We are conducting a detailed study on the system at present, after which it will be sent to the headquarters for approval," Dhoke said.
Time of India
05-06-2025
- Automotive
- Time of India
Pune airport plans time bound entry system to curb congestion
Pune: The Pune airport will soon implement a time-based pick-up and drop-off system for private vehicles to curb congestion on the premises. Vehicles flouting the rule will be penalised, authorities said. "Many private vehicles are parked along the arrival and departure areas for an extended period, resulting in congestion. Although there are four to five wardens on the premises to manage the traffic, we need to manage the situation," Pune airport director Santosh Dhoke told TOI. Under this system, the entry of all vehicles will be timed, and the same will be checked upon exit. "If it is found that the timing exceeds the stipulated period, a fine will be imposed. However, we are yet to decide on the timing and the fines. This system is already in place at many airports," Dhoke said. AeroMall's vice president, YS Rajput, confirmed the problem. "We have our wardens stationed at the airport to streamline the traffic. However, on average, we are charging a penalty of Rs500 to at least 10 people as a last resort daily. Many people enter the airport under the pretext of dropping off or picking up flyers and park their cars for a long time. As per the existing system, we impose fines on vehicles that do not have a driver present. Many cars have a person sitting in the driver's seat, claiming they will move soon, but don't. The wardens have been directed to levy a fine only during peak hours to manage the traffic," Rajput told TOI. Back in 2019, the airport had a time-bound system, under which any car found waiting on the premises for more than three minutes was fined Rs340. Before this, until 2016, car owners had to ensure they left the airport premises within seven minutes, failing which they were fined Rs85. At present, commercial vehicles like cabs are only allowed to drop passengers at the airport and no pick-up are allowed. Private vehicles are allowed to enter the premises for both pick-ups and drop-offs. Prantosh Singhal, a regular flyer who lives in Koregaon Park, said the matter needed urgent attention. "In late evening, many cars are lined up in almost all lanes. It simply increases the chaos. People walking towards the AeroMall or the cab pick-up area have to bear the brunt. Besides, vehicles are also lined up all along the New Airport Road and Symbiosis College Road. I wonder why these vehicles can't spend some money and park at the Aeromall?" Singhal said. Nishith Patil, a Kharadi resident who flew from Delhi recently, said, "We waited for the bus for around 8-10 minutes as even the bus lane was occupied by some cars. The old building had a system to address the problem, and despite criticism, it was a good move and acted as a deterrent. The authorities should carefully calculate the timing and fix it so that the fine levied is rightful and can't be questioned," the business professional said.
Time of India
21-05-2025
- Automotive
- Time of India
Steep auto-cab fares & long wait test people's patience on rainy days
Pune: The heavy rainfall on Monday and Tuesday caused significant disruptions for daily commuters relying on app-based autorickshaws and cabs, with long waiting period and surge pricing testing their patience. In many cases, drivers insisted on higher prices reflected in the aggregator app unlike their recent practice of demanding meter fare. Salisbury Park resident Kedar Damte, who works with a firm on JM Road, waited for one-and-a-half hours on Tuesday evening for an autorickshaw before a colleague offered to drop him at the Pune railway station. "I tried multiple aggregator apps, but no driver accepted my ride request, despite the app showing a fare of nearly Rs 400. The cab fares were even higher at Rs 600. Finally, a colleague dropped me off at the Pune railway station around 8pm, from where I hired an autorickshaw for Rs 450 for a distance of just about 6km. I had no choice. Still I reached home only around 10.30pm," he said. IT professional Raveesh Joshi was shocked when his cab booking from Pune airport to Hinjewadi Phase-1 displayed a fare of Rs800 on Monday evening. "The cab driver was firm on the fare, refusing to negotiate. When I cited the govt-approved fare website ( showing Rs 630, he dismissed it, prompting me to cancel the ride and opt for a prepaid autorickshaw for Rs 555," he said. Ghole Road resident Nachiketa Das, who works in Vimannagar, spent two hours after his 5 pm shift trying to catch an auto, both through apps and on the street. "It was raining cats and dogs, so I opted against riding my motorcycle and tried booking an auto via apps, but did not succeed. Auto demanded Rs 600-700. Eventually, I rode till airport, parked my bike at AeroMall and took a prepaid auto for Rs 315, reaching home only after 10pm," he said. Keshav Kshirsagar, the president of the Baghtoy Rickshawaala and Indian gig workers unions, said all members were advised against fleecing passengers. "These are standing instructions. Meter fares for both cabs and autorickshaws are applicable. All must obey them and shouldn't exploit commuters," he said. A message was sent to Pune RTO Archana Gaikwad about the issue, but remained unanswered till going to press. Another RTO official said they would take action.
